In the spotlight - new GHS Time Series Dataset
ESDS is pleased to announce that the General Household Survey (GHS) Time Series Dataset (1972-2004) is now
available to download. The dataset was created by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to analyse trends
in social inequalities over 30 years.
The GHS provides a good data source for analysing changes in society since the 1970s because of the long
time that the survey has been running and its large sample size. However, using the GHS to analyse trends
over time can be time consuming and complex because GHS data have previously only been available in individual
annual datasets (with the need to take separate extracts for each year of interest). The new time series
dataset combines the 1972-2004 GHS data into one dataset, thus exploiting the full potential of the GHS
and providing a valuable and accessible research tool for secondary analysts.
There are 827,624 cases and 71 variables in the GHS Time Series Dataset, including those on: household composition;
socio-economic status; qualifications and education; economic activity; health consultations; chronic and
debilitative illness; smoking behaviour; and household and individual demographics.
The GHS Time Series Dataset can also be used for pseudo-cohort analysis (originally the dataset
was referred to as the GHS Pseudo-Cohort Dataset). Pseudo-cohort analyses track the average experiences of people
who were born in the same time period. As the GHS is a cross-sectional survey, the experiences of respondents in a given
survey year are taken to represent the average experiences of their particular birth cohort. ONS provides more information on pseudo-cohort analysis.
For more information about this exciting new dataset and/or to download the data: www.esds.ac.uk/findingData/snDescription.asp?sn=5664
Article dated: 18 July 2007
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